The present invention is in the field of telecommunication encompassing all existing sorts of interaction multimedia technology, and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for personalizing and presenting workload assignments to agents within a multimedia communication-center.
In the field of telephony communication, there have been many improvements in technology over the years that have contributed to more efficient use of telephone communication within hosted call-center environments. Most of these improvements involve integrating the telephones and switching systems in such call centers with computer hardware and software adapted for, among other things, better routing of telephone calls, faster delivery of telephone calls and associated information, and improved service with regard to client satisfaction. Such computer-enhanced telephony is known in the art as computer-telephony integration (CTI).
Generally speaking, CTI implementations of various design and purpose are implemented both within individual call-centers and, in some cases, at the telephone network level. For example, processors running CTI software applications may be linked to telephone switches, service control points (SCPs), and network entry points within a public or private telephone network. At the call-center level, CTI-enhanced processors, data servers, transaction servers, and the like, are linked to telephone switches and, in some cases, to similar CTI hardware at the network level, often by a dedicated digital link. CTI processors and other hardware within a call-center is commonly referred to as customer premises equipment (CPE). It is the CTI processor and application software is such centers that provides computer enhancement to a call center.
In a CTI-enhanced call center, telephones at agent stations are connected to a central telephony switching apparatus, such as an automatic call distributor (ACD) switch or a private branch exchange (PBX). The agent stations may also be equipped with computer terminals such as personal computer/video display unit""s (PC/VDU""s) so that agents manning such stations may have access to stored data as well as being linked to incoming callers by telephone equipment. Such stations may be interconnected through the PC/VDUs by a local area network (LAN). One or more data or transaction servers may also be connected to the LAN that interconnects agent stations. The LAN is, in turn, typically connected to the CTI processor, which is connected to the call switching apparatus of the call center.
When a call arrives at a call center, whether or not the call has been pre-processed at an SCP, typically at least the telephone number of the calling line is made available to the receiving switch at the call center by the network provider. This service is available by most networks as caller-ID information in one of several formats such as Automatic Number Identification (ANI). Typically the number called is also available through a service such as Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS). If the call center is computer-enhanced (CTI), the phone number of the calling party may be used as a key to access additional information from a customer information system (CIS) database at a server on the network that connects the agent workstations. In this manner information pertinent to a call may be provided to an agent, often as a screen pop on the agent""s PC/VDU.
In recent years, advances in computer technology, telephony equipment, and infrastructure have provided many opportunities for improving telephone service in publicly-switched and private telephone intelligent networks. Similarly, development of a separate information and data network known as the Internet, together with advances in computer hardware and software have led to a new multimedia telephone system known in the art by several names. In this new systemology, telephone calls are simulated by multimedia computer equipment, and data, such as audio data, is transmitted over data networks as data packets. In this system the broad term used to describe such computer-simulated telephony is Data Network Telephony (DNT).
For purposes of nomenclature and definition, the inventors wish to distinguish clearly between what might be called conventional telephony, which is the telephone service enjoyed by nearly all citizens through local telephone companies and several long-distance telephone network providers, and what has been described herein as computer-simulated telephony or data-network telephony. The conventional systems are referred to herein as Connection-Oriented Switched-Telephony (COST) systems, CTI enhanced or not.
The computer-simulated, or DNT systems are familiar to those who use and understand computers and data-network systems. Perhaps the best example of DNT is telephone service provided over the Internet, which will be referred to herein as Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT), by far the most extensive, but still a subset of DNT.
Both systems use signals transmitted over network links. In fact, connection to data networks for DNT such as IPNT is typically accomplished over local telephone lines, used to reach points in the network such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The definitive difference is that COST telephony may be considered to be connection-oriented telephony. In the COST system, calls are placed and connected by a specific dedicated path, and the connection path is maintained over the time of the call. Bandwidth is basically assured. Other calls and data do not share a connected channel path in a COST system. A DNT system, on the other hand, is not dedicated or connection-oriented. That is, data, including audio data, is prepared, sent, and received as data packets over a data-network. The data packets share network links, and may travel by varied and variable paths.
Recent improvements to available technologies associated with the transmission and reception of data packets during real-time DNT communication have enabled companies to successfully add DNT, principally IPNT, capabilities to existing CTI call centers. Such improvements, as described herein and known to the inventor, include methods for guaranteeing available bandwidth or quality of service (QoS) for a transaction, improved mechanisms for organizing, coding, compressing, and carrying data more efficiently using less bandwidth, and methods and apparatus for intelligently replacing lost data via using voice supplementation methods and enhanced buffering capabilities.
In addition to Internet protocol (IPNT) calls, a DNT center may also share other forms of media with customers accessing the system through their computers. E-mails, Video mails, fax, file share, file transfer, video calls, and so forth are some of the other forms of media which may be used. This capability of handling varied media leads to the term multimedia communications center. A multimedia communications center may be a combination CTI and DNT center, or may be a DNT center capable of receiving COST calls and converting them to a digital DNT format. The term communication center will replace the term call center hereinafter in this specification when referring to multimedia capabilities.
In typical communication centers, DNT is accomplished by Internet connection and IPNT calls. For this reason, IPNT and the Internet will be used in examples to follow. IT should be understood, however, that this usage is exemplary, and not limiting.
In systems known to the inventors, incoming IPNT calls are processed and routed within an IPNT-capable communication center in much the same way as COST calls are routed in a CTI-enhanced call-center, using similar or identical routing rules, waiting queues, and so on, aside from the fact that there are two separate networks involved. Communication centers having both CTI and IPNT capability utilize LAN-connected agent-stations with each station having a telephony-switch-connected headset or phone, and a PC connected, in most cases via LAN, to the network carrying the IPNT calls. Therefore, in most cases, IPNT calls are routed to the agent""s PC while conventional telephony calls are routed to the agent""s conventional telephone or headset. Typically separate lines and equipment must be implemented for each type of call weather COST or IPNT.
Due in part to added costs associated with additional equipment, lines, and data ports that are needed to add IPNT capability to a CTI-enhanced call-center, companies are currently experimenting with various forms of integration between the older COST system and the newer IPNT system. For example, by enhancing data servers, interactive voice response units (IVR""s), agent-connecting networks, and so on, with the capability of conforming to Internet protocol, call data arriving from either network may be integrated requiring less equipment and lines to facilitate processing, storage, and transfer of data.
With many new communication products supporting various media types available to businesses and customers, a communication center must add significant application software to accommodate the diversity. For example, e-mail programs have differing parameters than do IP applications. IP applications are different regarding protocol than COST calls, and so on. Separate routing systems and/or software components are needed for routing e-mails, IP calls, COST calls, file sharing, etc. Agents must then be trained in the use of a variety of applications supporting the different types of media.
Keeping contact histories, reporting statistics, creating routing rules and the like becomes more complex as newer types of media are added to communication center capability. Additional hardware implementations such as servers, processors, etc. are generally required to aid full multimedia communication and reporting. Therefore, it is desirable that interactions of all multimedia sorts be analyzed, recorded, and routed according to enterprise (business) rules in a manner that provides seamless integration between media types and application types, thereby allowing agents to respond intelligently and efficiently to customer queries and problems.
Arguably, one of the more desirable goals that may be achieved in any multimedia communication center is to maintain a state wherein all of engaged agents, knowledge workers, and other enterprise personnel are kept optimally busy at all times. One of the methods employed in this regard involves launching out-bound campaigns wherein agents initiate contact with customers, especially when monitoring of agent activity indicates that certain agents are not fully engaged. Another important consideration, of course, is how agents spend their time on an ongoing basis during an active work period.
In a multimedia communications center known to the inventor as CINOS and described in previous copending patent applications and in the current disclosure, out-bound campaigns may be automatically initiated with contact lists disbursed to certain agents when a need is detected by such as traffic monitoring during a slow period. However, it is also desireable to provide a means for managers to determine and implement work assignments to agents in such a manner as to keep them optimally involved during active work periods according to skill level without over-stressing or confusing those agents.
In prior art communication centers agents having specific skill-sets are generally assigned certain dedicated tasks within a communication center such as, for example, answering incoming sales calls, answering incoming service calls, or perhaps answering e-mails or other types of media. Often agents are grouped together in separate departments or sections according to skill level and assignment. Very often these separate departments or sections maintain separate general contact numbers that are published to clients or customers for enabling contact with agents of that department. For example, one number may be used for service, while another number is used for sales, and so on.
Moreover, in a multimedia communication center wherein a wide variety of media is supported, agents may be inadvertently stressed by having to switch from one media type to another while trying to maintain a uniform response-time over all media types covered. For example, if an agent spends too much of his time answering telephone calls for sales, and he is also responsible for answering facsimiles and e-mails concerning sales, then his e-mail queue may be overrun with unanswered mail. His fax station may have too many unanswered faxes. As a result, pressure is put on the agent to catch-up in one or more areas. Such pressure may cause undo stress on an agent leading him to rush or miss important details. Likewise, time-sensitive orders may be delayed or missed resulting in lost business.
Supervisors or other managers in charge of agents must know their agent""s particular skill levels and be able to manage their assignments so that they are maximally utilized in efficient manner. This can be a formidable task if there are a large number of agents having varying skill levels and working with several media types.
Supervisors or other superiors in assigning workloads to agents traditionally use variations of two basic themes. In prior art communication centers, these themes are founded around two basic principals. One is pushing a workload of one media type to an agent and switching to another media type when the first type is temporarily exhausted or depleted. The other is allowing the agent to subscribe to a workload of one media type and allowing the agent to switch media type at his or her discretion.
Both themes as practiced in prior art present difficulties. The push theme may tend to exhaust an agent if there are an unusually high number of calls in one particular media. Calls of another media type may become uncomfortably high while the agent attempts to exhaust a particular media. Perhaps in an attempt to handle the workload, the agent may rush and not cover all of the particulars associated with specific inquiries resulting in sloppy performance.
An agent who is left to his own discretion may subscribe to a favorite media type and neglect other types of calls. Or he may wade through his workload looking for fast orders while neglecting some important calls. Confusion may rule if there are many calls of varying media types. Also, an agent working at one skill set may have other skills that are not being utilized because he is segregated in one department answering a specific media type.
What is clearly needed is an automated method and apparatus for personalizing and presenting personalized agent workload assignments to an agent on an agent-by-agent basis according to enterprise objectives and agent skill level. Such a system would maximize agent efficiency and increase enterprise profitability.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a multimedia communication center ((MMCC), a system for structuring workload for agents is provided, comprising an outward-facing communication interface for accepting communications from clients; an inward-facing interface for communicating with agents, including log-on procedures for agents; and an operating system (OS) for managing operations of the MMCC. The OS, upon agent log-on, activates an agent-specific software model that checks agent parameters, enterprise rules, and work-in-progress, and prepares work assignments for the agents.
In the system the OS, upon preparing agent work assignments, presents the work assignment to the appropriate agents. Work is completed, the OS automatically updates the work assignments.
In various embodiments the work assignments are presented to the agents in one or more modes selectable by a supervisor, and the modes may include one or more of push, push-and-blend, and publish and-subscribe. As work is completed, the OS notes and records agent performance according to pre-programmed parameters.
In another aspect of the invention, in a Multimedia Call Center (MMCC) operating system (OS), an agent work presentation software model (AWPM) is provided, comprising an identification function to an agent or agent group: a programming interface for a supervisor to enter operating parameters; an automatic interface to one or more OS data repositories; a display module; and a log-in start module. An authorized supervisor through the programming interface enters an agent or agents for the identification function, and parameters controlling the presentation of workload to a listed agent through the display module; and wherein the AWPM, once programmed, launches automatically for identified agents at log in, checks data repositories for agent parameters and work to be done, and presents work to the agent via a display at a Personal Computer/video display unit (PC/VDU) at an agent station assigned to the agent logging in.
In the AWPM there may be a selection of presentation modes for agent work, including one or more of push, push-and-blend, and publish and subscribe modes; wherein a supervisor may select one or more modes for the presentation. The AWPM, while the identified agent is logged on, logs work activity and completion, updates workload, and provides updates to data repositories for work assigned and completed.
In some embodiments the supervisor may program the AWPM to a single agent, such that the agent""s unique AWPM launches each time an agent log-in to the OS, and provides all work presentation and housekeeping functions for the agent""s activities.
Using the AWPM of the present invention in a MMCC, for the first time it is possible to automatically utilize agents as the agents log in, and to update all pertinent information dynamically while agents are logged in, through the personalized and automatic AWPMs. The new and unique software is described in enabling detain below.